Niko Brim Is Ready To Elevate With New Mixtape, “No Service In New York”
Niko Brim has all the tools required to be a star. The New York native has been one of the most dominant and consistent lyricists to establish himself as a major player of this generation for some time now. Although that’s never been his focus, he’s more than ready for a new chapter, kicking off with the mixtape, “No Service In New York.”
This newest offering features some of the best introspective storytelling you’ll hear this year. Over the course of the 14-track project, Niko vividly paints a picture of growth. Through dynamic lyrics and an incomparable set of production, we witness candid stories of loss, struggle, faith, and the power of finding oneself. The project is authentically who Niko Brim is as a person. His flows are effortless and draw you in with every listen. It’s easily a project you will enjoy, with tons of replay value.
The star-studded feature list includes names he described to us as some of the “voices of the new generation,” including Kai Ca$h, Marco Plus, Ben Reilly, La Reezy, Yanna G, Brittney Carter, Sebastian Mikael, Tony E, and Jaewon.
Niko emphasized the importance of the “direct-to-consumer” model, as well as showing love to the community he’s built, so the mixtape is currently only available via the [untitled] app. Supporting independent artists is very important to Novice Principles, so we strongly encourage you to buy the mixtape. It’s worth it. Niko is also a new father, which has contributed to his maturity and the lessons he is learning as he navigates his daughter being the “epicenter” of his world while also handling life in the spotlight.
In an exclusive interview with Alex Cherry and Novice Principles, we learned so much about a talented artist who can be defined by more than just the music, as well as his journey of reintroducing himself to the masses. You can read the full interview below.
Niko Brim Talks w/ Alex Cherry and Novice Principles
Cherry: Niko Brim is here with an exciting new project. I wanted to congratulate you on it. How’s your mental health leading into this?
Niko: Thank you for asking. My mental health is good. I’ve been really focused on wanting to put together the best body of work I could. My approach to it was like a mixtape. I wanted it to be very collaborative. Whenever I drop a project, there are always life updates that I bring to the table. The music is therapeutic, and it keeps me in a good space.
Cherry: I love that you touched on feeling reflective about life. “Eye of the Storm” is one that seems to hit on how you feel really well.
Niko: A lot has happened since my last project, and “Eye of The Storm” captures what has happened over the past two years.
Cherry: Dealing with everything happening in your life, how are you handling being in the spotlight?
Niko: I’m thankful, and I feel deserving. I’ve put in a lot of work to get here. There’s still a lot to be spoken about, but I’m a new father, so over this time I’ve been growing as a man. Now more than ever feels like a great time to share this new perspective I have.
Cherry: How have you been able to balance being a new father?
Niko: You figure it out as you go. I had to adjust to the level of consideration required to raise and be present for a child. My daughter is the epicenter of my life, and it was a beautiful adjustment that I felt was necessary to enter this next chapter.
Cherry: So “No Service In New York” is classified as a mixtape and not an album, correct?
Niko: Yeah. I wanted to inject as much culture into this project as I could. Being from New York, it was only right. When people see the lineup of artists featured, they’ll notice I included a lot of people who I feel are speaking for the culture as a whole right now.
Niko: “Hues” was very intentional in describing my perspective on the world. No Service In New York is more about who I am in this world; Less about perspective and more about action. Mixtape or album, it’s always curated with intention and love.
Cherry: With an opening song like “God’s Room,” how has your faith guided you through this process?
Niko: I had a humbling experience understanding that everything happens in God’s timing. I wrote that record right before my daughter was born. God is always present with me, and I move more with divine timing. Things have only been working more in my favor, so there was no better way to set the tone for the tape.
With No Service [In New York], there’s a lot of interpretation I want to leave for the listeners to gather when they listen. The whole idea is us coming up from the underground. There’s a whole new class of Hip-Hop that I’m a part of.
Cherry: You have so many great collaborations on this project. Did you have a favorite song on the mixtape to record?
Niko: My favorite to record was Cadillac Chrome. It’s 2024 and I’m on tour with Rapsody in Atlanta. This was my first time being there since me and Marco [Plus] connected. I hit him to come to the studio…I laid my verse right there. Marco heard it and laid his verse on the spot too. That’s when I knew we had something special.
Cherry: Do you remember the moment you decided you wanted to drop a project?
Niko: We knew we wanted to drop for a while. I do want to come with an album, but the decision was more about wanting to service the supporters who want to hear the music. So, for right now, we’re going direct-to-consumer. Dropping the strong singles and coming off the JID tour, I just knew it was time.
Creating a community and servicing a community of supporters is important to me. For the casual listeners, I will always have music available, but I do have a real fan base that is curated around a love for the art.
Cherry: What do you want people to take away from the project when they hear it?
Niko: I don’t have an expectation. I just want them to think it’s dope. Once it goes out into the world, the interpretation of the music is no longer mine.
Cherry: I definitely wanted to touch on the artwork and the meaning behind it.
Niko: The artwork was shot the same day Kobe passed away. I had been working on [B4thethrone – EP] at the time and almost used the artwork for that. I found myself in the same creative space, so when I went back and saw the photos, I sent them to Corey, and he understood the idea behind No Service In New York
As proud as I am of this body of work, we’ll celebrate, but I know we’re just scratching the surface. I want to release more music this year, and I know there’s so much more groundwork to be laid. Overall, we’re looking to keep the ball rolling with more; A bigger wave being built by us!
